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Christmas
is over and in many households the ritual of returning gifts has begun. Grandma’s
shaggy sweater is just too awful for you to wear. It doesn’t have a designer
label. You don’t look good in that color – why would she ever buy that hideous
thing?! Now, you find yourself pawing around the once festively wrapped
boxes of presents in hopes that there’s a gift receipt so you can return
the thoughtful gift for something you really, really need. In ministry,
I’ve met people who are like this with God. The coo over the exciting gift so
freely given – then after a short time are looking anxiously for the return
line. Why? An unthankful heart. We express our ungratefulness with our murmurings, complaining,
and grumblings. Yet, we don’t realize that all these comments defame and
depreciate the goodness of God.“…People
knew God, but they did not honor him as God, and they did not thank him…” Be thankful. Peace…Pastor
Keith

“…a child is born, sweet-breathed; a son is given to us:
a living gift. And
even now, with tiny features and dewy hair, He is great. The power of leadership, and the
weight of authority, will rest on His shoulders. His name? His name we’ll
know in many ways—He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Dear Father everlasting, ever-present never-failing, Master of Wholeness, Prince of
Peace…”Isaiah 9:6

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men” God gave us three special gifts in the verse. The third gift is good will toward men. This is kind’a deep
but oh so simple, yet so awfully difficult. “…peace, among men -- good will…” Think of this verse like this: I’m going to treat you like you belong to the
most high God, the Creator of the universe; I’m going to treat you like you are
something special and unique and I ask you do the same with me. Isn’t that the unassuming
“golden rule” we learned so long ago as children? Of the three gifts wrapped in
this verse from the Gospel of Luke, I think this last gift might be the most
difficult for many to open, because to fully appreciate it we are compelled to reconcile
our differences with others. Reconciliation is a powerful, holiday miracle cure
for broken lives and broken relationships. It defuses conflicts, quiets
quarrels & it snaps stress. Reconciliation is the restoration of peace with
God and then with …

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward
men”Our Father gave us three special gifts in
the verse. The second gift is peace on earth. Let those three words sink in for
a minute. What would bring peace on earth? No military conflicts between
countries; No quarreling between political parties? Harmony in the home? So
what do you think - what would bring peace on earth? How about peace with God,
our maker? Wouldn’t that go along way towards creating peace on earth? As
individuals, we have a personal responsibility for peace. Peace from worry.
Peace from anger. Peace within ourselves – folks, we are source of most of the
unrest in our lives because we are all born with a “peace” problem. The second
present given to us is the gift of peace and that gift belongs to you alone. “…For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior…” Will
you accept this free gift of peace?...Pastor Keith http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=W6LD7PNX

The Christian life is not just about a personal relationship with God, even if personal faith and responsibility are absolutely necessary. When too much emphasis is placed on a privatize salvation, we run the potential of getting so much wrong.

Avoid the draw to escape church citizenry. Becoming a disciple of Christ was never meant to be a solo expedition. Doing so means we expose ourselves to totally missing the opportunity to see the Eternal and His Holy Spirit in action: in real communities, in actual churches, in non-partisan politics, in obvious differences, in honest-to-goodness marriages, in authentic social discussions and during hard theological disagreements. You can't go it alone. Following Jesus shouldn’t be about intellectual assent, but rather it's communal activity, where-by we help ensure we don’t run the risk of missingthe Word who came to dwell among us. Consider that believing in Jesus and being mentored by the Holy Ghost is largely a group activity, albeit a…

Are you holding a close secret? Are you mum on something you're not supposed to tell anyone? If you’re like many folks I’ve met, you’re holding ‘something or other’ pretty close to your vest. And in doing so, as SNL’s Mike Myers would say: “Oh, I'm getting a little verklempt (farklempt). Most stuff is worth sharing, especially with the right person. While sharing personal “stuff” might seem like an invasion of privacy, it’s so worth the “vulnerability hangover”It’s worth being misunderstood and misrepresented. There’s desirability in discomfort. It's worth the death of your self-image and maybe even your brand. There’s benefit to owning up to what’s inside, no matter how difficult, because as the Psalmist wrote: Hidden things will always come out into the open. Secret things will come to light and be exposed.[1] Secrets bring bondage, sharing brings freedom. Freedom. Here’s what happens when you finally drop the act, when you finally admit that you're not fine, when you …

“..Like a sheep to a shearing, like a lamb to be slaughtered, he went—oh so quietly, oh so willingly..”The crucifixion of Christ, the awful marriage of human sinfulness and the pinnacle of divine grace, must remain an enduring mystery, a mystery of my faith — Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. Good Friday calls on me to take another look, to remember, His death. ~Selah~ So in my exuberance to treasure all the beauty that is Easter, I must be careful not to scurry past Good Friday. Easter alone does not make Christianity unique. It’s Good Friday, coupled with Easter, where we find the uniqueness of Christianity. As you contemplate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, I pray that God will reveal his unfathomable love for you in new ways. May you know the love of the one who gave his life for you…#Pkes #MinMChurch #MetroLifeChurch